Video: California hospital to buy 100 iPads

Nick Volosin, director of technical services, at Visali, California-based Kaweah Delta Health Care, has been piloting three Apple iPads for X-ray images, EKG results and other patient monitoring programs, according to a report from Network World. Volosin now plans to buy 100 more iPads for use by the care group’s home health and hospice care workers, nurses, dietitians and pharmacists. Kaweah Delta’s five sites include a main hospital, a dialysis center, a nursing facility, and rehab and mental health hospitals. Volosin’s IT team supports 6,500 users, including physicians, using a Citrix XenApp that delivers virtual desktops and applications to any device.

Volosin doesn’t seem to be groaning over how to integrate the iPads into his facility’s existing IT infrastructure.

“We’re giving users full access to a full virtual desktop,” Volosin told Network World. “They can run anything we can run internally.” The Citrix technology lets users maintain desktop sessions across different devices, for example switching from an iPhone to a desktop or thin client as the need arises. “Citrix allows us to have that flexibility,” Volosin says. “We don’t really care about the device. The device is what works best for you.”

Interestingly, at least 20 doctors at Kaweah are not waiting around for the 100 iPads to arrive: They already bought their own for use at work. This local ABC News affiliate has that story:

Please calm down. WYSIWYG, does not apply to Citrix. This is no panacea. Imagine running a weak CPU (iPad) to operate an Access database over a network connection. Slow motion at best and that does not speak to the panning and scrolling.